The Perfect Present
by sanctum-c
Summary: Aeris and Tifa are going to spend their first Winter Solstice together. Both want to give the other the perfect present.


_For stellarfluid as part of the gaiasanta secret santa on Ao3and the prompt:_

 _i would prefer a fanfic or some art, but would be happy with anything! i would like something that shows aerith and tifa (girlfriends) giving each other christmas gifts! for more details in case you plan on writing, I would like it to be some sort of zack-isnt-dead au (whether is real/modern day or in the original vrse, just with zack doesn't matter!) andmaybe with zack and cloud helping the girls pick out gifts for each other!_

 _Set in a vague everybody lives/post-Advent Children AU._

* * *

"Tifa," Aeris said one evening in early October.

"Hmmm?" Tifa replied looking up from her book and her idle fussing of Ash - one of Aeris's cats - who had had taken over most of her lap.

"What are you plans for Winter Solstice this year?"

Tifa blinked at her. "Oh, uh-" Normally she would spend the holiday with Cloud, Barret and Marlene - a standing arrangement that had been going on for years now. Only not this year; Barret and Marlene were taking a long-deserved holiday to Mideel over the winter break. Which meant it was her and Cloud this year. A shame Aeris couldn't join them too; she always went home for the holiday. She invited Tifa every time, but it felt a bit too much like an invasion. Aeris was the only family Elmyra had left and there was something wrong about encroaching on that - however much Aeris insisted she was more than welcome. "Hadn't thought about it yet. Probably just crash on Cloud's couch. Why do you ask?"

"Well." Aeris put down the magazine she'd been leafing through. "Mom's made some friends in Wutai and they invited her over for the holidays." She grinned as Tifa looked blank. "I have no idea who any of them are, and Mom wants to go but said she didn't because of me, but I said not to worry about that. I told her I could figure out something else to do."

"Oh. Would you like to visit Cloud with me?" Tifa's heart sped up. Winter Solstice with Aeris; another milestone in their relationship.

"I would. Except-" She peered at her phone. "Seems Zack has invited him on some 'bro' holiday. Also in Mideel but like the other end of the island." She smiled at Tifa. "So, I was wondering if you'd like to come here for the holiday?" Tifa's breath caught. "I know it's not the same, and-"

"Yes," Tifa said. "I would love to spend the holiday with you."

Aeris grinned. "Our first Winter Solstice together. We'll have to make it a special one."

Tifa nodded. And to make it special, Aeris would need the perfect present.

* * *

"Finally." Zack was leaning on the hilt of his sword. He straightened up, twirled the sword around his head in an elaborate maneuver before heaving it over his shoulder and allowing the magnetic harness to take the weight.

"Show off," Tifa remarked, and paused to look back at the city. They were not far from Edge - and as far as the official line went, Tifa was getting some new liquor for the Seventh Heaven. Unofficially, she was here to beg a favour.

"So, what's up?" He narrowed his eyes at her shrug. "Oh, no. You don't get to call me out of the blue, ask me to meet you here instead of the bar and then make out it's no big thing."

She sighed. "Okay, okay. I have a favour to ask. Can you help me out?"

Zack eyed her. "I think I need to know what the favour is first."

Tifa clasped her hands together. "I want to get Aeris a gift for Winter Solstice, and I was hoping you could help out with an idea I have."

He scratched at his head. "Is this because me and Cloud are going surfing?"

"Partially. But I'm sort of glad you are because now Aeris and I get to spend the holiday together."

Zack grinned. "Hey, congrats. Ah, you two are so adorable."

Tifa flushed and shook her head. "Anyway," she said firmly. "Because it's a big step, I want to get her something special."

"What kind of special?" Zack asked.

Somehow this seemed embarrassing to say out loud, but if she did not- "Back in Nibelheim we had this custom of carving materia rings-"

"You're going to propose on Winter Solstice?" Zack whistled. "I had no idea things were going so well."

"I'm not going to propose," Tifa sighed. Though how would Aeris react to such an action? "People give each other rings for other reasons. And I..." she trailed off.

Zack sighed. "Fine. Can't we just get some materia and carve it?"

"Do you not get romance? No. I want to keep the tradition alive. So we need to get the materia from Mount Nibel." She took a deep breath. "Any chance you could run back-up?"

"What today?" Zack looked pained.

"No. But soon."

He stared at her for a moment and sighed. "Sure, just give me a heads up first."

* * *

Cloud was leaning against Fenrir when Aeris arrived. The hulking mass of Midgar loomed nearby, parts of the abandoned city creaking as the wind whistled through it. The risk would be worth it. It had to be. "I got your message." He glanced around. "Just us today?"

"Yeah." Aeris grinned at him. "Wanted to keep this quiet."

"Okay?" Cloud blinked at her as he extended the vowel. "What's going on?"

"Well." She clasped her hands behind her back. "As I understand it, you know Tifa pretty well, right?"

Cloud nodded. "Right. Known her years now."

"Good," she said. "Because I was hoping you could help me get her the perfect present for her for Winter Solstice. It's going to be our first one together with just the two of us."

"Did you have something in mind?" He asked.

"Uh-huh." Aeris nodded behind him. "And it's in there." He followed her gaze as she stared into the dead city.

* * *

Fetching obscure liquor for the bar was a one-off, time-limited excuse. It did not quite work as the kind of subterfuge necessary to get all the way over to Nibelheim, hack out a chunk of materia, come back and then painstakingly wittle the resulting prize into a ring. As such Tifa's next excuse needed to be somewhat more elaborate. "I need to go back to Nibelheim," she blurted after dinner one evening. Aeris paused while washing the dishes and looked at her questioningly. "It's part of this census thing," she added with an awkward gesture.

"Census?" Aeris frowned. "Does anyone even live there anymore?"

"Oh, sure." Think faster. "Some people have moved in. The houses there are liveable. They're cheap and not great but..." She shook her head. "Anyway. They're trying to revive some of the old ideals. Like keeping track of Nibelheim diaspora." Parts of the excuse were true at least.

Aeris shrugged. "Interesting. Do you want me to come too?"

"It's okay," Tifa said a little bit too fast. Aeris did not seem to notice. "It's not going to be a fun visit, and if we went we'd need to put the cats in the cattery or convince someone to look after them." She strolled away, rubbing a plate with the tea-towel. "And weren't you going to visit your Mom this weekend?" Last chance before her holiday.

"Wait, you're going that soon?"

Tifa whirled back to her and nodded. "Figured I'd get it out of the way and get back before Winter Solstice."

"Makes sense." Aeris turned back to the washing up. "Be careful on the way though."

"Always am."

Getting to Nibelheim was no problem, but Zack refused to be even a little bit clandestine while Tifa worried at any moment they might run into Aeris on some other errand that brought her to- Well, wherever she was. She relaxed a little when they passed North Corel. But it would be just typical wouldn't it? Not that she was not going precisely where she said she would, but there was a risk that Aeris would then want to tag along and make this so much harder.

"I think your subterfuge worked," Zack sighed as they reached Cosmo Canyon and Tifa swore Nanaki to secrecy. Just like Barret and Marlene. And Zack's parents. And the surfers at Costa del Sol and-

"I know. I just-"

"It's fine."

They did not spend long in Nibelheim proper once they arrived. The town had new residents and they were making the best of life there. These days Nibelheim was slightly less of a ghost town as whole sections of the fake town underwent repair and replacement. Slowly, but surely, the town she grew up in was changing and would in the end pass beyond all familiarity. But no matter how much the town altered, it would likely never be able to shake the strange sense of horror that lay over it. Her father's death; Sephiroth's birth; Vincent's mutilation; Zack and Cloud's torment; Cloud's mother's death.

She hurried past the water tower, Zack trailing after her as she headed up the familiar paths of Mount Nibel. The mountain should also hold little but horror for her. This was where Jenova had rested all those years. This was where she almost died on more than one occasion. But this was her mountain. She was the guide and had spent so long learning the paths and trails of Mount Nibel. The mountain had changed to a lesser degree than the town; her older knowledge still applied. Plus she did not intend to make it as high up as the reactor. Her destination was a tiny cave on one of the trails. Another place like so many where Sephiroth had unfortunately trodden. But the materia spring in that cave - the burst of life coming up from the Planet - that seemed a fitting tribute to the force of life that was Aeris Gainsborough. Plus it would be a good denouncement of everything Sephiroth was.

Trekking over the mountain had never been easy, but in the years since the town's partial abandonment and the fading of Shinra, the monsters here seemed to dig in and grow. Numerous Kyuvilduns and at least one Zuu fell after extended fights to Zack's sword and Tifa's fists. Life had grown so much easier after the defeat of Shinra while she lived in Edge; she was no longer used to doing this every day and her shoulders were already stiff.

Another Zuu fell and the cave lay right ahead. With the area clear for a few precious moments Tifa made a break for the cave only to stumble to a halt as soon as she entered. Something was wrong. The beautiful green glow that once illuminated the cave was gone; now it was hard to seen anything in the gloom. The fountain had dried up.

"No," Tifa murmured and flicked on her torch. Even the mass that formed the base of the spring was inert; closer to rock now than materia. She started chipping at it with her rock hammer, stone shards splintering off with each blow. Was there a layer of usable materia underneath the crust?

Zack settled beside her as she worked and sifted through discarded chips of rock. He was silent even as she grew more frustrated, bringing the rock hammer down savagely to reveal more rock. No materia, nothing living. The cave around them was all the same, dead rock.

"How could this...?"

"I guess it's part of Mako power not working. Planet's safe-guarding it's secrets," Zack murmured. He paused as he examined the underside of a few rock chips but ultimately discarded them. "We could try higher up?"

Tifa shook her head. "If it's like this here it won't be any better up there." She sat back and huffed.

Zack shrugged. "We can get you a piece from Cloud's collection to carve if you want."

"Maybe," Tifa murmured. "Wouldn't be the same though. I really did want it for both reasons; tradition and for her."

He nodded and slowly got to his feet. "Don't want to rush you too much, but I don't think we want to get stuck up here at night. And I bet you'd rather not spend a night in town either." Tifa nodded and scrambled up. Zack took a step out of the cave and darted back inside, a jet of flame blasting across the entrance. Wide-eyed he glanced out the mouth of the cave. "There are three dragons out here!"

Tifa peeked out behind him and ducked back. Sure enough, three massive Nibel Dragons perched on a nearby ridge. No way of getting past them without attracting attention. "Something must have disturbed them. They should be hibernating."

"Well, they ain't hibernating now," Zack hissed. "What do we do?"

"There are other paths," Tifa said. "We would need to go a bit higherup, but then we can cut down via the rope-bridge. Easy enough." Mount Nibel seemed to have other ideas. Another pack of dragons prowled around the path leading down the mountain and neither of them could get close to the bridge as the dragons blasted fire at them. "Run!" Tifa yelled and headed for the path up towards the peak. New plan: get up to the reactor before night-fall. Not a pleasant prospect but better than being out in the open. They could then either check if the dragons had gone by sunrise or else head down to Rocket Town.

"Sounds good," Zack said as he glanced over his shoulder. "At least we seem to have lost them.

Tifa slowed. "Good. That should be the last of them. They can't all be awake at this time of year." She turned a corner. "Oh, come on!" Too loud; the dragon she had almost walked into turned towards her, it's eyes narrowing. Zack was already rushing towards the path leading towards the peak. They barely made it to the reactor. It seemed like there were more dragons than had ever lived on Mount Nibel roaming the top of the mountain. They managed to avoid the worst of them, but soon found themselves sheltering inside the reactor, every way off the mountain now blocked by dragons. "Oh this is bad," Zack murmured.

"Might have to call in a favor," Tifa said and opened her phone. Cid did not react entirely well to the request of a rescue mission to Mount Nibel, dodging dragons as he did so. But Avalanche loyalty was sufficiently strong he agreed to help them out. Within an hour, the Shera swooped over the mountain forcing Zack and Tifa to sprint in between the gathered dragons for a dangling rope trailing from the underside of the airship. Grabbing hold, Cid lifted them away to safety. A short while later and actually onboard the two of them slumped in a convenient seat on the airship. "Wonder if I should think of something else for Aeris," Tifa murmured. Zack raised an eyebrow. "Any ideas?"

* * *

"You want to get her what?" Cloud asked as they scrambled over a pile of debris in the remains of Sector One. "A cowboy hat?"

Aeris grinned at him. "Not just a cowboy hat." The slope was steeper than anticipated and she wound up hurrying down it a little too fast. Aeris steadied herself. "She told me she used to have one back in Nibelheim."

Cloud frowned. "I kind of remember that?" He shook his head. "It rings a bell anyway. So she still had it?"

"No." Aeris shook her head. "That one was lost somewhere between the fire-" She grimaced. "-and when she got to the city. But. Once she was back on her feet, she decided to get something that reminded her of home. Not much of that in the big city. But she did find a hat just like her old one."

"Aeris?" Cloud paused on a junk heap. "Um. You do remember what happened to sector seven?"

"I'll never forget," Aeris said in a quiet voice. She shook herself. "That's not the end of the story. Because I know exactly where the hat went." She grinned at his exasperated look. "My house."

"Your house? How?"

Aeris scrambled up the next debris heap before answering. "Tifa asked me to find Marlene and get her to safety when we all first met. Marlene- She-" She paused to negotiate a tangle of wire. "-she was not immediately trusting of a random flower girl running into a bar and telling her to go with her."

"Understandable," Cloud said.

She nodded. "Poor girl was terrified. Plus, Barret really had drilled into her the whole don't talk to strangers thing. So, I needed something to get her to come with me and fast - I had no idea if you could stop the plate coming down and how long I had. So first things first I had to make out I knew Tifa well. Then we got talking a little more and while I was crouched behind the bar, I noticed this hat under the counter." She smiled at the memory. "So I asked Marlene about it and she told me it belonged to Tifa. And I got her talking about Tifa and learned all this stuff about her." She struggled down the heap. "And I convinced her to put the hat on to keep it safe for Tifa."

"And she did?"

"And she did," Aeris confirmed with a nod. "She wore it all the way to my house. Told me all about Tifa, Barret, Jessie, Biggs and Wedge. Oh, and this new guy in Avalanche called Cloud."

"She was scared of me at first," Cloud admitted.

"She liked you more later." Aeris heaved a sigh. "Anyway. You know what happened after that. Then a lot of other stuff happened. So, last week, I talked to Mom and she couldn't remember what happened to the hat after Marlene got there. She knows she didn't bring it with her when she left, and Marlene didn't have it when Reeve took her. So-"

"So, it should be in your Mom's house." Cloud grinned.

"Right. So we just have to get over there." They continued on into the Midgar interior. A few brief skirmishes with various native monsters. Nothing either of them could not handle; Aeris with her staff and Cloud with his fusion swords. Even going direct through the centre of the city took longer than expected; easy to lose sight of how vast Midgar was. They took a break in an unfamiliar street in Sector Five, lined with picturesque cottages and small detached houses. Quite an odd sight in Midgar, but then Mom had lived in a similar dwelling.

Cloud frowned at the street. "This place is in weirdly good shape."

Aeris wandered closer to the nearest. "Yeah. Not sure how." The plate above was missing several large chunks of metal. Perhaps Meteor had pulled the debris upwards when it closed in. Otherwise the lack of damage to the house's roofs was incredibly fortuitous. Wait. There was something familiar about the houses. Mom's house. They looked far too much like Mom's house. And while Mom had never mentioned it- There was always that rumour in Sector Five of how Mom got such a nice house, in such a nice location, what she had done or might have done so long ago. "Cloud. I think we need to get out of here."

"Huh?" Cloud looked around at her. "Why?"

A low guttural groan sounded somewhere close at hand. "These are Hell Houses."

His face paled as all around them the buildings shook and began to shift. The entire frame of the nearest house lifted clear from the ground, heavy skeletal legs supporting the bulk as bony arms pushed out of shuttered windows. "Reckon we can take them?"

"This many?" Aeris shook her head. "One or two, maybe. There's like twenty here." Lying in wait for an unwary and less observant wanderer. Would they remain in the city or one day leave like everyone else? There could be little prey here. Or at least few of their intended victims. "And they have us surrounded."

"Your house isn't far from here, right?" Cloud asked.

"Right. But-"

"Then we're going to try and cut our way through," he sprinted forward towards the Hell House between them and their destination.

"Cloud, wait!" He did not seem to hear her; ducking under a back-hand from the nearest Hell House, Cloud dodged around a burst of missile fire. His sword moved in a gleaming arc to sever the Hell House at the elbow. The creature let out an ear-splitting screech and slammed its other arm down on him. Aeris knocked it away at the last moment with her staff. "We need to retreat."

"But your house-"

"Is not worth getting ourselves killed over." Aeris took a deep breath. "It was just an idea. There are other things I could get Tifa. Things that don't involve tangling with these." The Hell House struck again and Aeris caught the blow on her staff, the force almost knocking her from her feet. Cloud nodded.

"They're closing in." The houses advanced, parts of their outer shells colliding and stalling the creatures for a moment. "We aren't going to get another chance if we can't get away now"

Aeris narrowed her eyes. There was a pile of debris almost beside one of the Hell Houses. She pointed. "We use that. Get onto the roof!" She took off at a sprint.

Cloud rushed after her. "Are you mad?"

"Trust me, okay?" She increased her pace. The house lumbered around to face her, the front door creaking open. Now. Aeris ran up the debris slope and hurdled onto the Hell House's roof. That got a snarl as her feet landed on the tiles, but she did not have time to waste. She ran up and over as Cloud thumped down onto the roof and followed her. Various moans and growls of frustration sounded from the monster as they slid down the other side of the house and tumbled onto the ground. Getting up took agonising moments; if the Hell House took another step back- Aeris struggled upright, the bulk of the Hell House distant enough. With a nod from Cloud, they hurried away and did not stop until they were back into Sector One.

* * *

"Not flowers," Tifa said with a groan as she read down Zack's suggestion list and dropped it to the table. He had been writing it while she got cleaned up.

"What? Why not?" He peered at her. "Aeris loves flowers. They're like her favourite thing. Major romantic gesture too."

"I know that and of course they are." Tifa shot him a level gaze. "But do you really think Aeris Gainsborough, Aeris Gainsborough: the flower girl," she stressed. "Do you think that Aeris Gainsborough who grows flowers daily is really going to like another bunch of flowers, or an orchid, or anything like that as a gift?"

He fidgeted under her gaze. "Still a romantic gesture." Zack shook his head. "She'll love whatever you get her though."

Tifa leaned forward. "I want to give her something meaningful. While she might say she loves anything I get her - and mean it, because that's exactly what I would say to her in that situation - I really, really don't want to take the easy route." She grabbed the list again. "And chocolates is way too cliche." She glanced up at him. "Please tell me you actually did come up with some ideas for her and not generic presents for girlfriends?"

Zack snatched the sheet of paper away. "Fine. I have other ideas. How about-"

* * *

"I guess that Tifa gets flowers from you all the time?" Aeris and Cloud walked back out of Midgar. He was trying to come up with suggestions for a replacement gift.

"She does," Aeris replied with a grin. "A new bunch picked from the garden every week." And she had almost forgotten today until he said that. "Must remember to get them on the way home," she murmured. "So, I wanted to get her something special. Flowers are special, but not quite in the right way, you know?"

"I get your point." Cloud hummed. "Okay. She's good at martial arts. You could get her some stuff to do with that?"

Aeris blinked. Not an expected direction for present suggestions. "Not sure if she really thinks of it as a hobby like that. But she might I suppose. I don't know-" She blinked. "It could work as a back-up plan at least?"

Cloud grinned. "Want to see if anything takes your fancy? There's a store in Edge that sells stuff for it."

"I guess." Aeris sighed, tired and aching from the exertion. But if she could get Tifa's present today... "But try and think of some other ideas on the way there. Please?" He nodded.

* * *

"Lingerie?" Tifa leant her head against the table and groaned. "What kind of absurd suggestion is that?" she muttered.

"So it's cliche," Zack said. "She'll love it. And she gets to feel sexy wearing it, and you get to see her in it and-"

"Zack," Tifa interrupted as fast as she could while she lifted her head back up. "I do not need you to speculate any further on the advantages of giving my girlfriend lingerie. This whole thing sounds deeply suspicious to me. More like a present for me than her."

His smile faltered and he frowned. "I suppose it is a bit. If you put it like that. But guys do it all the time..."

"Really?" Tifa leant back in her chair. "And how many girlfriends have you done that for? How many friends do you know who have done that?" She paused. "It would be cheaper and-" Tifa shook herself. "Aeris has plenty of lingerie anyway-" Zack's eyes widened and Tifa's cheeks heated up. She slurped urgently at her drink by way of distraction. "This is far too generic girlfriend gift as well. So please forget that kind of idea. I want something like, I don't know: how about something she had always wanted but never got? It can be childish, it can be silly-" There was a look of dawning recognition visible in Zack's eyes and he glanced to the ceiling. "Yes?"

He leant forward. "There is this one thing. No idea how you're going to sort it, but-"

"Let me worry about that. All I need to know is what it is." Tifa held her breath. Another bad suggestion or something she could feel confident giving Aeris?

"Well..."

* * *

"Anything leaping out at you?"

Aeris turned to Cloud after giving the heavy punching bag another prod. Of everything on sale here, it was the closest to an idea she could envision Tifa wanting or using. But what then? So Tifa could spent some of Winter Solstice morning pummelling this heavy bag and then what? It would stand in the corner ignored for the rest of the day. And that was not even taking into consideration getting the thing home, wrapping it, Tifa unwrapping it, getting the thing moved to Tifa's apartment and- Assuming they didn't move into together soon. She shook herself. Missing the point. Something else. "Still not convinced." The other stuff on sale here still felt wrong somehow; protein supplements, gloves, bandages, braces, mats, small exercise equipment, large exercise equipment. More protein supplements. "Sure you have no other ideas? No old hobby or..." She trailed off at the look in his eyes.

"Hobby," he echoed.

"Yes!" she said. And hopefully something to get them out of this cramped and overly warm shop.

"She used to play the piano," Cloud said.

Not the best starting point, but it was something that felt righter. A whole piano might be beyond her and as difficult to move as the punching bag - if not more - and far more expensive than her budget allowed for. Something related to the piano would work though. "Quick! To the nearest place that sells piano music!"

"Okay," he said with a grin. "There's a place down the street."

Something piano-related for Tifa. Aeris smiled as she left the shop. They passed a pawn shop and she stopped. Right there in the window was an even better present than any book of sheet music. "Hey Cloud?" He had walked on and hurried back to her. "Where could I get one of those new?" She pointed.

* * *

Winter Solstice morning. Tifa and Aeris allowed themselves an extra hour to lounge in Aeris's warm and comfortable bed before both cats made quite clear they wanted feeding, Winter Solstice or no. The couple relented and left the bed, Aeris missing the warmth immediately. Ash and Misty raced ahead of them to the kitchen of the cramped apartment. As per earlier discussion Tifa set about starting lunch off and retrieved the first bottle of fizzy wine from the fridge while Aeris sorted the cat's food. "Okay you two; we have the cat equivalent of a roast dinner for you today." She showed them the packet; both cats merely mewed and pawed at her pyjamas. "Urgh," she muttered as she opened the packet and took a sniff.

"Not to your taste?" Tifa asked from beside the sink.

Aeris shook her head. "No. But you two like that smell don't you?" Both cats now stood on their hind legs, their front paws resting against her legs and all their attention focused on the packet. She spooned the contents of the packet into the cats' bowls and both of them started slurping the moment the bowls touched the floor.

"Do we get presents now?" Tifa hefted the wine bottle and two glasses.

"We do." The presents had been on display in the living room for the last few days. Their external appearances prompted irregular and idle speculation on exactly what any of them contained. Tifa thankfully had no idea what her present contained and Aeris was looking forward to the surprise of whatever Tifa had gotten her. They planned to work their way up to those two special gifts; first came the gifts from friends and other family. There was a tub of miniature chocolate bars courtesy of Zack. "Always welcome. Hope he likes the whisky and the charm," Aeris said as she set the tub down.

"He will," Tifa stressed. "He's a big whisky fan."

"And the phone charm?"

"The whisky didn't feel like enough." Tifa's turn; Cloud's present was also to both of them and contained two copies of the latest instalment of Soldiers of SeeD. She grinned at Aeris. "Neither of us has to wait this year."

"Oh Cloud," Aeris said taking one of the books and reading the back. As if she had not been doing so for the last month and sneaking the occasional look at the first few pages. "I feel a little bad about the tool-set."

"Don't be," Tifa replied. "He loves mechanical stuff and repairing things. He'll really appreciate it. When he's back from Mideel anyway." She opened the next parcel and cooed. "A nice hamper from Barret."

Aeris slid beside her as they picked through the contents. "And yet more wine!" Misty wandered up to Aeris, the cat's tongue flicking around it's jaws. "Was that good?" she asked her calico. The cat blinked at her, yawned and proceeded to curl up on her lap. She chuckled and stroked Misty's head. "Menace. I appear to be pinned. You'll have to go on without me."

"Or I could pass things to you." Tifa grinned. "From me this time." Aeris took the parcel and pulled at the paper as the cat grumbled and stretched out her legs.

"Chocobo!" she exclaimed at the bright yellow content; a large and soft Chocobo plushie.

"You like him?"

"I love him," Aeris murmured, her face buried in the plushie's side. Great minds thought alike it seemed. "You should look at the big squishy one with your name on it. The smaller squishy one," she said hastily. Tifa peeled the tape off her present and hefted the Moogle hidden inside. She sat the Moogle beside Aeris's chocobo. "You like yours?" Tifa grinned and nodded. Two presents left now. A fairly small present addressed to Tifa from Aeris; and a overly large, squishy and somewhat badly wrapped present from Aeris to Tifa. "I think you should open the present I got you now."

Tifa picked at the tape holding it closed. And worked her way through multiple layers of wrapping paper, bubble wrap, a few bags for life- "There is something in here, right?" she asked as she discarded another layer of paper. Impossible not to smile now she was getting close; it had taken some time to prepare all that.

"There is something in there," Aeris insisted.

At the centre of the parcel was a rectangular present wrapped in yet more colourful paper. Tifa tore the paper back and gasped. "Thank you!" She tore the remaining paper away and marvelled at the electronic piano inside. "It's been years-" Aeris's discovery had been worth every penny.

"You have Cloud to thank for that. In a roundabout way. He said you used to like playing the piano but never had the chance anymore." Aeris reached for Tifa's hand. "I know it's not a real one but-"

Tifa shook her head. "Doesn't matter. It's perfect. Thank you." She leaned over the dozing kitten to kiss Aeris. "Hope you like yours as much now." She handed Aeris the last present under the tree.

Aeris hefted the better wrapped parcel and began tearing at the paper. Nowhere close to as elaborately wrapped; this present only had one layer of paper. Inside was a clear plastic case with a miniature of the Highwind suspended inside. Her favourite thing in the world; she tilted it this way and that. Amazing detail on the model; if only she could travel on the real thing. A good substitute at least. "This is great! Thank you."

"Did you notice what was under it?" Tifa asked with a touch of nervousness.

Aeris brought the box back up and peered down. "'This ticket allows the bearer and one guest an all expenses trip'-" She gasped and blinked at Tifa. "An airship flight for the two of us?"

"If I'm the person you want to go with you," Tifa murmured, her cheeks reddening.

"Of course you are!" Aeris grabbed Tifa's hand and pulled her into an embrace, Misty escaping with an annoyed mew at the intrusion. "Thank you! This is amazing!"

"Hope so," Tifa grinned giddily. "And you get to fly anywhere you want." Aeris chuckled. "What is it?"

"Just realized we might be able to combine our presents." Her girlfriend looked confused. "You could compose something for the occasion. Like, I don't know, the airship takes to the skies? Something like that?"

Tifa giggled. "I'll try." She looked around at the presents and back to her partner. "Happy Winter solstice."

"Happy Winter solstice," Aeris replied. She picked up the wine. "I think this is going to be the best one ever."


End file.
